You Can Only See The Stars If You Are Truly Free
by Soli
Summary: Ryoko's in jail, and it's up to the gang to rescue her...before it's too late. R&R please.


You can only see the stars if you are truly free.

By Soli

Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi and Co. I wish I did, but I don't. (If anyone from Pioneer is reading this, I have sixty bucks and I'm a willing buyer.) The only person who belongs is Kaylon. He is my creation. Obviously. This is my first fanfiction, and I hope you all enjoy this, although you probably won't. Comments and reviews are begged for! I will give you a big pair of puppy eyes if you don't! So, please please please review! Thank you!

-Soli

Kiyone stared at the black screen, not believing what her ears had told her only a few minutes ago. Shocked filled every corner of her being before the pain was felt. _No longer a detective._ Kiyone though, the despair finally settling in. There was no way to go back, to live her dream again. Not unless she could do something great, something worthy, so that they would beg her to come back again. But without be given missions, how would she ever do that? 

Unless…Kiyone's eyes lit up as a strong debate fought out in her mind. _She's my friend…She's a murderer…She's changed…The past hasn't…She has friends…Justice has no friends…There has to be another way…There is no other way…Is losing a friend worth it?… Any sacrifice will be worth it. _

Kiyone sighed, and heading out of her apartment, grabbed her car keys. The future awaited.

"DING-DONG!"

"Will someone get the door?"

"Ayaka will get it!"

"No she won't Sasami!"

"I'm busy, someone else get it!"

"WILL SOMEONE JUST GET THE STUPID DOOR?"

"Fine, I'll get it!"

Ryoko opened the door, slightly ticked about having to get the door. Remembering the incident with Ayaka and Sasmi's mother, she braced herself and opened the door. Seeing Kiyone standing outside, she grinned.

"Hey, Kiyone, what brings you around?"

"Nothing good." Kiyone stated, whipping out a pair of handcuffs. Ryoko looked confused for a minute, then her face cleared as she realized just what that meant. But She was a moment too late. Kiyone had already snapped the handcuffs around her wrists. Ryoko tried to teleport, but found that nothing was happening.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kiyone?" The woman screamed in outrage.

"Something I should've done long ago. Ryoko, in the name of the galaxy police, you are under arrest for murder and thievery. "

"We've been over this a thousand times! I will not be arrest!"

"You don't have a choice."

By now, the rest of the house had come down to watch the two women fight it out. Ayaka was grinning; maybe she'd finally have Tenchi to herself. Sasami looked confused, having almost no idea what was going on. Ryo-Ohki was mewing furiously and trying to get Kiyone away from Ryoko. Tenchi had just walked in when Kiyone pulled her gun and placed it to Ryoko's temple. 

"Come quietly," Kiyone muttered, her green hair mussed up, "Or I will bring your body back instead. " Ryoko spotted Tenchi behind all the girls and decided to try one more escape plan.

"Tenchi! Tenchi, you gotta save me! She wants to drag me to jail Tenchi! Tenchi!"

Tenchi looked sheepish and shrugged. 

"Well, you _are _a wanted criminal you know, Ryoko. And sooner or later you _were _going to get caught. I'll come visit you, though."

"Yeah, and I'll write you lots and lots of letters, Ryoko!" Sasami promised.

Washu and Mihoshi decided to walk in then. 

"What's going on?" Washu wanted to know. Ayaka summarized the current situation with a gleeful "Ryoko's going to jail!" Washu shrugged. "G'bye, Ryoko." And walked out of the room. Mihoshi grabbed Ryoko in a big hug and then she too left. 

Ryoko was stunned. Her family, her only and closest friends, didn't seem to care that she was losing her freedom, that she was going to jail. Throat clenching, she dropped her head, turned and started walking out of the doorway. 

Tenchi took one more look at his friend and was shocked to see something like tears on Ryoko's face. Shaking his head, Tenchi convinced himself that it was only his imagination and closed the door.

"You have a visitor." The guard unlocked the door to Ryoko's dark cell. Ryoko didn't notice. She was still crouched next to her small window, staring at the starts, the same position she had been in for the past three months. Her cell was about the size of a small bedroom, with a cot and a table covered with unopened letter from her friends and wilted carrots from Ryo-Ohki. 

Tenchi walked in.

"Hello, Ryoko." He said softly. Ryoko didn't even turn. Tenchi frowned slightly as his eyes lay on the pile of unopened letters and he walked closer to the hovering woman. "We miss you, ya know. Sasami doesn't go one day without saying, 'Is Ryoko coming home soon?' Even Ayaka misses you, though I doubt she'd admit it." Tenchi chuckled slightly, then stopped when he realized that he wasn't getting any response at all. He sighed. "Look, Ryoko, would it kill you to send a letter home? Or to talk to me right now? I'd be happy if you'd even _look _at me. Can't no even tell me if you've been doing alright?"

No response. For the first time, Tenchi looked, really looked at Ryoko, and what he saw nearly choked him. Ryoko had lost far too much weight; she looked like she snap in half at any moment. Her usually spiky hair was limp and dirty, her dress in rags. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her cheeks had sunk in. Tenchi went over to her, touching her lightly on the shoulder, and finally Ryoko turned around. What Tenchi saw then brought tears to his eyes. Ryoko's eyes, once bright with mischief and life, were dead. There was no light in those yellow eyes now. Tenchi brought his hand up to fix a stray lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes. Ryoko pulled away and resumed her pose once more. Tenchi turned away also, feeling like his heart was ripping in two. As he walked to the door, he heard Ryoko speak, stopping him in his tracks.

"The stars are beautiful, aren't they." Ryoko's horse voice spoke, not used to being used for so long. Tenchi bowed his head and replied. "They sure are." "I would give anything to be able to see them again, really see them again." "What do you mean?" 

Ryoko's voice sounded sad. "Knowing you'll never be able to see them anyplace other than behind bars clouds you're vision a bit." Tenchi turned around again. "You will, Ryoko! You won't be behind bars forever! You'll be free again." He said eagerly. Ryoko was silent. Her companion stared at her, silently willing her to speak, to agree with him. 

"Will I?" It wasn't a question, more like a statement. With those two words, Tenchi felt Ryoko's pain, her longing to be free, and something else. Something that caused the young man to wonder _why _Ryoko felt the way she did. Why she was acting the way she was. 

"Yes." He said quietly. And Tenchi realized that tears were falling from Ryoko's eyes. They sparkled in the moonlight, giving her the appearance of a fallen angel. He watched the beautifully heartbreaking sight until the guard came back and told him it was time to leave.

Tenchi swallowed and walked out of the cell. It was then he let his own tears fall. 

"She's dying." Tenchi's head snapped up. "What!?" He nearly screamed. Kiyone's face remained impassive, but she fingered her new stripe, a symbol that she was now a top officer. "She's dying." Kiyone repeated again. The room went still. Then Sasami began to sob. Mihoshi soon joined her, along with Ryo-Ohki's pitiful wailing. Even Washu and Ayaka wiped their eyes. Tenchi felt his whole world rip apart. Since his first visit nearly two months ago, they had heard no news from Ryoko. Tenchi wanted desperately to visit her again, but it seemed that Ryoko had requested not to have any visitors. Suddenly, he couldn't care less what the guards said. Standing up so quickly that he knocked his chair over, Tenchi started out of the room, only to be blocked by Kiyone. 

"Where do you think you're going?" She demanded. "To get Ryoko out of that hellhole." Tenchi retorted. Kiyone's eyes narrowed as she grabbed his arm. "I don't think so. I'm not about to lose my position just because you feel bad that Ryoko doesn't like the prison life." 

That was the last straw. Tenchi slapped Kiyone across the face. Shocked silence filled the room as Tenchi glared at Kiyone. "That's all you care about, isn't it? Your job. You put your own friend in jail, someone who has saved your life more than once. Why? So you get a lousy promotion. Well, I hope you enjoy your promotion. I'm sure your victory'll taste much sweeter with blood on your hands." With that, Tenchi stormed out of the room. After a minute, Ayaka got up and walked out, followed by the rest of the group. All except for Kiyone. Staring at the door, Kiyone brought up a hand to her face, and Tenchi's words finally sunk in. In the silence and emptiness of the room, Kiyone began to cry.

It was near midnight. Kaylon felt drowsy. The usual nightly guard had disappeared, and he had been called on duty. Not used to being awake all night, the young man found his eyes closing again and again. Surely it wouldn't hurt to rest his eyes, just for a minute? But no, that small luxury could cost him more than just his job. After all, this Ryoko character was a dangerous criminal. Who knew what would happen if she was let loose? Glancing in the cell, he wondered what damage this woman could do now. She looked so weak and fragile; it couldn't hurt just to…

A sudden sound alerted Kaylon. Going for his gun, he shot up out of his chair, only to be knocked down by an invisible attacker. Struggling under the weight of his foe, Kaylon let out a scream, hoping to alert any other guards. The attacker clasped a hand over his mouth. Biting it, Kaylon pushed the person of him, only to feel something cracking against his skull and throwing him into utter blackness.

Washu put down the chair she held and helped Tenchi up. 

"Just in time, Washu." Tenchi muttered, searching the guard's pocket for the key to the cell. Finding a ring of keys in the back pocket, Tenchi and Washu proceeded to try and find the right key.

"Hurry up you two. We're running out of time. That yell was sure to have alerted someone." Ayaka hissed from outside the door. She, Sasami and Mihoshi were keeping watch and making sure no one just happened to walk in while the most wanted criminal in the galaxy was walking out. 

"Got it." Whispered Tenchi, slipping the key into the lock. Throwing the door aside, he rushed into, heading straight for the crumpled heap on the grubby bed. Ryoko was thinner than before, if that was possible. Her cheeks were sunken in, and Tenchi was shocked to realize that she wasn't sleeping. In fact, her eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling, with a certain glazed look. Her cracked lips were slightly parted, and her skin had a yellowish tint to it.

"Oh god. Ohgodohgodohgod, please don't be dead. Don't you dare be dead, Ryoko." Tenchi whispered. Her chest wasn't moving, but feeling her too small wrist, he detected a faint, very faint, pulse. Gathering her in his arms, Tenchi nearly cried feeling how light his friend weighed.

"Let's go." He said to Washu in a hoarse voice. The pink haired genius nodded, and they rushed out of the cell. Running into the hallway, the two stopped, noticing that their friends had disappeared.

"Don't move." A cold voice from the pair's right said. Whipping his head around, Tenchi found himself face to face with the end of a gun. Shifting his eyes slightly, he saw that Guards had captured the other three females. Shifting his eyes back, he stared at the guard holding the gun.

"Put the gun down." The guard ordered. Tenchi held Ryoko's body closer to his own. "I'm warning you. We don't take jail-breaking lightly here." The man threatened. Tenchi just stared at him. "I will give you until the count of three. One. Two."

A shot rang out, and Tenchi clenched his eyes shut. Feeling no pain, he opened one cautiously, and realized that he was still alive. Glancing down at the ground, Tenchi saw the guard holding his side and moaning.

"Three." Kiyone's voice rang out. Turning, Tenchi saw the blue haired woman walk out of the shadows, a smoking gun in her hand. Tenchi grinned. "Nice to have you back, Kiyone." Kiyone gave a small smile and said quietly, "Victory tasted lousy with blood on my hands." Turning to the other guards, she ordered, "Release them." "But Colonel Kiyone…" One of the guards started. "I said release them." Kiyone said, pointing her gun at them. "I warn you, young man, I have very good and very quick aim. There are three of you. By the time you reach for your own weapons you will be dead with blood pouring from a hole in your head. Release them, and you go free also. But if not…" Kiyone tightened her hold on the trigger. "Do I make myself clear?"

The guard hesitated, then released his hold on Sasami. The other two guards did the same. Kiyone turned to Tenchi,

"Go." She ordered. "I brought my own ship. I'll catch up after you've left." Tenchi nodded his head as he and the others fled down the hall.

Light. There's all there was. Warm, caressing light. Ryoko felt herself flying for the first time in five months. The light was getting nearer and nearer. She was close, so close…

Something was pulling her back. Calling her. Fighting against it, Ryoko tried to get to the source of the light. The voice got louder, more desperate, and finally Ryoko listened. 

_Ryoko!_

"Sounds like Tenchi." Ryoko muttered to herself. Stopping, Ryoko felt herself being pulled back even more. 

_Ryoko, please, open your eyes!_

"It _is _Tenchi!" Ryoko said, surprised. "But what's he doing here?" 

A faint beam of light brushed against her face. It seemed to be talking to her. Ryoko listened, jerking her head in surprise. After a few minutes, she closed her eyes. 

"I understand." She whispered, fully understanding her fate. The light retreated, and Ryoko fell farther and farther back. 

Soon, Tenchi's voice surrounded her, as well as Ayaka's, Sasami's, Mihoshi's, Washu's and even little Ryo-Ohki. They seemed to be everywhere. Ryoko felt herself sink to the ground, too heavy to fly anymore. 

The pain hit her almost at the same time the ground did. She felt tired, worn. The voices were clearer now. "Open your eyes." They begged her. "Open your eyes."

She did. The sight that greeted her was surprising. The whole gang was there, looking desperately down at her. Looking beyond their now relived looks, Ryoko stared at the starry night sky. She was aware of the grass beneath her body, and the soft breeze playing with her hair. Looking back, Ryoko focused on the tearstained face closet to hers and smiled. Tenchi smiled back. 

"We thought we lost you." He said quietly. Ryoko's heart twisted. She knew the truth. Heaven had given her just enough strength and time to say good-bye. She had to use this time wisely, but, oh, how she wished she could stay here, with her friends. With Tenchi.

Bringing a weak hand to his face, Ryoko fingered his short black hair. Tenchi rubbed his head against her hand a little. Ryoko felt her eyes fill with tears.

"I…I love you, Tenchi." She whispered. "I know." Tenchi whispered back. Ryoko smiled, and turned to the others. "I love you all." "We know." Ayaka said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We love you too." Ryoko smiled at her, and turned back to Tenchi.

"Tenchi, remember, you can only see the stars if you are truly free." She whispered. Tenchi looked confused. Then realization flashed across his face. "No! No, you can't…No, Ryoko you can't, you can't die. I won't let you!" Tenchi cried in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry Tenchi." Ryoko whispered. Tenchi began to cry once more. "I…I lost you once, Ryoko. I can't lose you again." "You won't lose me, Tenchi. You never will. But you must let me go, Tenchi. Please, let me go." Tenchi was silent. 

Ryoko closed her eyes. With or without Tenchi's approval, her time was running out. " Forgive me, Tenchi. I have to go."

"No! Please, Ryoko, please, don't leave!" Tenchi cried out. But his words fell on deaf ears. Ryoko's lifeless body lay limp in Tenchi's arms. The sobs from the small group re-echoed throughout the night. Tenchi buried his head in Ryoko's hair. 

"I love you too." He whispered. "I love you too."


End file.
